Saturday, 10 December 2016

Survivors in Yorkshire

Class 31's are due to dissappear from NR test trains very soon.31233 is seen powering from the rear of a train at Sheffield.

With some stunning weather forecast I spent a day in Yorkshire on 28th November on the way back from a trip to Scotland. As well as regular traction in the area I was fortunate to catch up with two real survivors of the privatised railway- 31233, now the last serviceable loco of the class with Network Rail on test train duties and class 20's 20312 and 20305 on RHTT duties. The class 20 will celebrate it's 60th birthday in 2017 and it really is testament to their design and reliability that both these modernisation plan diesel classes can still be seen working on the national network at the end of 2016.

20312 leads an RHTT set and 20305 through Hatfield & Stainforth with the South Yorkshire rail head treatment train from Grimsby to Bridlington via Sheffield and Hull. Class 20's celebrate their 60th Birthday in 2017.